ABOUT JIM
Coach and Consultant
As a coach and consultant, I help church and nonprofit leaders and teams discover effective ways to lead loving, fruitful communities that make a difference in the world.
I tremendously enjoy walking alongside leaders and teams as they find joy in their vocations and develop resourceful, resilient, and effective communities. I facilitate healthy relationships, perspectives, and approaches to organizational change, discernment, revitalization, and growth through one-on-one and team meetings, peer support groups, workshops, and retreats. This includes encouraging people to listen deeply and learn from one another as partners with diverse gifts and skills on a unique and valued journey together – cultivating creativity and imagination, empowering one another, and intentionally responding to their opportunities and challenges.
Please email me if you would like more information or to schedule a time to talk about your needs and objectives, imagine possibilities together, and explore coaching or consultancy.
Congregational Development
I help congregational leaders and teams with church health and growth, leadership development, and clergy transitions. In this work, there are also significant opportunities for leaders and teams to:
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Center leadership in Jesus
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Cultivate loving community (including strengthening skills in interpersonal relationships, lovingly confronting conflict, healing, and reconciliation)
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Develop shared leadership and mutual ministry
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Listen, discern, and re-imagine mission and identity (who God is calling us to be in our local context)
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Intentionally revitalize and grow through new and existing ministries
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Take new approaches to communicate with, reach, and serve non-church people
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Create connecting relationships through individuals, small groups, and ministry teams
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Strengthen financial stewardship
Background
Jim draws on broad personal experience in entrepreneurship, organizational development, client service, and leadership.
Jim served as the congregational development and clergy transitions officer both for eighty churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan (2013-2020) and for the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee (2000-2004), and as an independent coach and consultant for churches and nonprofits (2002-2012, and presently). His book, Where Jesus Leads: Helping Christian Communities to Follow, and related resources shared on this website are based in experiences of helping Christian leaders and communities discover joy and new life in walking with Jesus together and bringing others along.
Nonprofits Jim helped start and lead include Our Next Generation (offering academic tutoring, enrichment programs, and social support to central city students in Milwaukee) and Taraja Resource Network (aiding poor families in Rwanda and Uganda with mentoring, educational scholarships, and micro-enterprise grants).
Also with partners, Jim helped start, establish, and manage two staffing companies with over 1,000 employees, an investment banking practice for a large CPA and consulting firm, and a commercial finance practice for a large law firm.
Jim received his BA in philosophy from Northwestern University and his JD and MBA degrees from the University of Illinois. Church related certificates and studies include University of the South School of Theology D. Min. program (Church Development Institute certificate); Episcopal Church Deployment Officer; Safe Church; Lombard Mennonite Peace Center; Alban Institute.